NewsTribune Week 8 football preview capsules

Morris (7-0) at La Salle-Peru (5-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: La Salle-Peru 20, Morris 19 (spring 2021)

About Morris: Morris has rolled through its schedule, outscoring opponents, 303-84. Morris’ closest game was a 13-3 win over Coal City in the season opener. … Morris beat Ottawa, 49-0, last week. … QB Zach Romak has thrown for 890 yards and nine touchdowns while running for 617 yards and 10 TDs. … RB Ashton Yard has rushed for 1,016 yards and 11 scores. … WR Myles Johnston has caught 18 passes for 311 yards and five TDs. … Morris showed big-play ability against Ottawa with four one-play scoring drives. … Morris held Ottawa to 152 total yards and forced three turnovers. … LB Jorge Loza made eight tackles against the Pirates, Sam Reddinger forced and recovered a fumble and Cameron Hatcher and Aidan Romak each intercepted a pass. … Morris is ranked No. 4 in Class 5A in the latest Associated Press poll.

About the Cavaliers: After being shut out by Sycamore in Week 5, L-P has scored 83 over the past two weeks with a 49-7 win over Woodstock North and a 34-13 win over Woodstock last week. … The Cavs are averaging 261.5 rushing yards a game led by the one-two bunch of fullback Matt Carrico (609 yards, 5 TDs) and QB Sean Whitfield (551 yards, 9 TDs). … Tre’von Hunter has been a threat to run or catch the ball, racking up 292 yards and four TDs. … The Cavs have allowed an area-best 13 points a game. … Joey Shepard booted a 29-yard field goal last week. … In the spring, the Cavaliers overcame a two-touchdown deficit to beat Morris by a point.

FND pick: Morris

St. Bede (5-2) at Hall (1-6)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: St. Bede 27, Hall 6 (spring 2021)

About the Bruins: St. Bede’s two losses have come against Class 4A No. 4 Kewanee (7-0) and 3A No. 6 Princeton (6-1). … The Bruins took a 13-7 lead against Princeton last week before losing 47-20. … Anton Cain threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to Calym Setser and caught a 26-yard TD pass from John Brady, who had thrown for 1,102 yards and 11 TDs and run for 421 yards and 3 TDs this season. … The Tyreke Fortney, the area’s leading receiver, was held to one reception for 25 yards last week. He also had just one rushing attempt. … The Bruins are averaging 140 rushing yards, 167.9 passing yards and 25 points a game while allowing 173.9 rushing yards, 116.4 passing yards and 21.7 points a contest. … St. Bede is ranked No. 9 in Class 1A in the latest AP poll.

About the Red Devils: Hall is 6-3 against St. Bede since the series renewed in 2012. The Red Devils have not lost back-to-back games to the Bruins since 2012. … Hall was held to just 107 total yards in last week’s 43-0 loss to Newman, including 46 rushing yards. … The Red Devils allowed the Comets to run for 347 yards and scored on six of their first seven drives. … Hall had a 69-yard TD run by Mac Resetich negated by a block in the back. … Resetich has rushed for 559 yards and 10 TDs on 72 carries this season while catching 15 passes for 273 yards and three TDs. … Gabe Lucas completed 6 of 10 passes for 83 yards last week.

FND pick: St. Bede

Bureau Valley (2-5) at Princeton (6-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Princeton 40, Bureau Valley 0 (1998)

About the Storm: Bureau Valley is looking to snap a five-game losing streak after losing 35-12 to Erie-Prophetstown last week. … The Storm allowed 428 yards against E-P, including 302 on the ground. … Bureau Valley finished with 184 rushing yards and 61 passing yards last week. … Jaden Michlig has run for 652 yards and four touchdowns on 90 carries, while Levi Hardy has 312 yards and seven TDs on 73 attempts, including 50 yards and a score against E-P. … After throwing for 140 yards and no TDs through the first four games, QB Adam Johnson has 241 passing yards and three TDs in the last three games.

About the Tigers: Princeton will play its Bureau County rival for the first time in more than two decades. The Tigers won the only two meetings by a combined score of 93-16. … The Tigers fell behind, 13-7, last week against St. Bede but scored the next five touchdowns en route to a 47-20 victory. … Augie Christiansen ran for 117 yards and four TDs on 13 carries last week, while QB Teegan Davis rushed for 215 yards and three TDs on 14 attempts. Davis also threw for 99 yards. … The Tigers allow 15.7 points a game and have held four opponents to seven points or less. … Princeton has scored 40 points or more five times this season. … The Tigers are ranked No. 6 in Class 3A in the latest AP poll.

FND pick: Princeton

Newman (4-3) at Mendota (5-2)

When: 5 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Comets: Newman must beat either Mendota or Kewanee (7-0) to become playoff eligible. The Comets have made 19 consecutive playoff appearances and 26 in the last 27 seasons. … Newman recorded its first shutout of the season in last week’s 43-0 win over Hall, setting the tone early with three three-and-outs and two fourth-down stops on Hall’s first five drives. … The Comets held Hall to 27 rushing yards. … Newman’s 43 points last week were a season high. … The Comets racked up 347 rushing yards against Hall as Marcus Williams ran for 78 yards and a score, Ethan Van Landuit had 75 yards and a touchdown and Mason Glaudel finished with 66 yards and two TDs. … QB Cody Donna completed 3 of 5 passes for 85 yards, including a 31-yard TD to Owen McBride.

About the Trojans: Mendota was short-handed in last week’s 56-7 loss to Kewanee as three of its four captains missed the game with injury. … The Trojans had four turnovers – three interceptions and one lost fumble – and a failed fake punt on their first five drives against Kewanee as the Boilermakers build a 28-0 lead after one quarter and a 49-0 lead by halftime. … Mendota was limited to 205 total yards last week, its lowest output of the season. … QB Ted Landgraf has completed 34 of 90 passes for 496 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions while running for 467 yards and five TDs. … RB Uzi Angulo has rushed for 607 yards and eight TDs on 94 attempts.

FND pick: Newman

Deer Creek-Mackinaw (5-2) at Fieldcrest (0-7)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Last matchup: Fieldcrest 17, Deer Creek-Mackinaw 0

About the Chiefs: After three straight losing seasons, including an 0-4 spring, Dee-Mack has bounced back this fall. The Chiefs are playoff eligible and have won three games in a row, including a 28-27 victory over LeRoy last week. … Brent Denniston has carried the load for the Chiefs, running for 725 yards and four touchdowns on 111 carries, while Lucas Blumeyer has rushed for 425 yards and two TDs. … QB Carson Cassady has completed 18 of 34 passes for 283 yards. … Lance Barnewold leads the Dee-Mack defense with 61 tackles.

About the Knights: Fieldcrest remained winless with a 63-6 loss to Stockton in a nonconference game last week. … With their top three QBs out with injuries and ineligibility, the Knights turned to freshman Eddie Lorton, who previously had started at running back and receiver. He ran for a team-high 47 yards and threw for 31 yards. … Fieldcrest rushed for 104 yards last week, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in a game for the first time this season. … Senior captain Ethan Stoeger moved to running back last week, running for 35 yards on eight carries and scoring his first career varsity TD.

FND pick: Deer Creek-Mackinaw

Orangeville (6-1) at Amboy-LaMoille (4-3)

When: 1 p.m. Saturday

Last matchup: First meeting

About the Broncos: After losing its first game of the season in Week 6, Orangeville bounced back with a 70-6 rout of River Ridge last week. … The Broncos are averaging 48 points a game while allowing 22 a contest. … RB Gunar Lobdell has rushed for 1,491 yards on 122 attempts, an average of 12.2 yards a carry. He’s also scored 24 touchdowns on the ground. … QB Carson Rote has completed 19 of 29 passes for 356 yards and six TDs with no interceptions while adding 276 yards and five TDs rushing. … WR Nate Anderson has caught eight passes for 202 yards and four TDs.

About the Clippers: Amboy didn’t play last week after Ashton-Franklin Center canceled the remainder of its varsity season. … The Clippers beat Hiawatha, 60-36, in Week 6. … QB Tucker Lindenmeyer has completed 24 of 41 passes for 520 yards and nine touchdowns with two interceptions while rushing for 524 yards and eight TDs. … RB Kye Koch has 333 rushing yards and three TDs, and WR Brennan Blaine has 14 receptons for 339 yards and six TDs.

FND pick: Orangeville